Monetizing downloadable files based on resolving custodianship thereof to referring publisher and presentation of monetized content in a modal overlay contemporaneously with download

ABSTRACT

The monetization of downloadable files associated with a custodial host site based on resolving custodianship to a referrer publisher with subsequent presentation of monetized content within a modal overlay is disclosed. A request from a client device has a resource identifier and a referrer publisher identifier. The request for the downloadable file is evaluated against one or more publisher and custodianship policy rules, which relate to a file extension of the downloadable file, a format of the resource identifier, a custodial domain on which the downloadable file is stored, and a referral domain as specified in the referrer publisher identifier. When custodianship is resolved, a modal overlay on which monetized content is incorporated is presented on the client device. The modal overlay is concurrently displayed with the transfer of the downloadable file to the client device.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a continuation-in-part application of a prior filed andcurrently pending U.S. non-provisional application having Ser. No.15/243,350 and a filing date of Aug. 22, 2016.

This application claims priority and is entitled to the effective filingdate of U.S. non-provisional application Ser. No. 15/243,350, filed onAug. 22, 2016, which is a continuation of U.S. non-provisionalapplication Ser. No. 14/318,109, filed on Jun. 27, 2014, which claimspriority and is entitled to the filing date of U.S. provisionalapplication Ser. No. 61/841,740, filed on Jul. 1, 2013. The contents ofthe aforementioned applications are incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates to network-based data transfers, and moreparticularly, to Internet-based content delivery and monetization overthe open Web environment as well as closed proprietary systems to expandopportunities for custodial publishers to receive revenue associatedwith downloadable digital content.

Applicant(s) hereby incorporate herein by reference any and all patentsand published patent applications cited or referred to in thisapplication.

Traditionally, advertisements have been the means by which publishersmonetized digital assets. These advertisements are embedded on webpages, and presented in visual proximity to various written, audioand/or visual materials such as articles, videos, audio files and thelike. The presentation of advertisements has evolved over time, with theearliest examples being standard HTML compatible code embedded withinpage content as text or images. More recently, more engagingpresentations are utilized, such as pop-up/pop-under advertisements,also referred to as superstitials, interstitials in which the user isredirected to an intermediary webpage between two other webpages and anadvertisement is presented for a predefined time, until user action isreceived in order to transition to the content, and dynamicadvertisements that expand across a page when a user interacts with anembedded webpage advertisement. Web pages, however, represent merely afraction of the digital assets available from publishers today, andconventional advertisements are a small portion of the monetized contentnow available from advertisers. Monetized content may refer toadvertisements (including video and audio), affiliate merchant products,monetized search widgets, advertorial blurbs, promoted social mediacontent such as “Pins, Tweets, and Posts,” art, music, and photography,etc.

Considering that the systems that handle publisher content on theInternet, There are two types of content systems on the Internet in verysimplified terms: closed and open. A closed system is one in which agroup of web pages and/or files are locked in a proprietary system orframework and are therefore inaccessible to the public without paymentand/or a password. An example of such a closed system is apay-per-download framework. The file is inaccessible to the generalpublic and only becomes accessible once payment is made, a custom URLaccessed, and/or a password is provided by the user to retrieve thefile. Certain closed systems, such as YouTube, have limited attributesof an open system, where the files (in this case videos) are accessibleto the public for viewing, but the files themselves are inaccessible tothe public for download. An open system, on the other hand, representsthe remainder and the majority of the Internet, where web pages and/orfiles may be easily linked to by websites around the world, and readilyaccessed by the public at large without any restrictions. Unlike closedsystems, no payment or passwords are required to access web pages orfiles that reside within the open web environment.

By some estimates, there are billions of downloadable files posted onthe Internet that are freely available. These include PDF (PortableDocument Format) documents, as well as others in native editabledocument formats such as .doc/.docx files for word processing documentseditable in, for example, Microsoft Word, .ppt files for presentationdocuments editable in, for example, Microsoft Powerpoint, .xls files forspreadsheet documents editable in, for example, Microsoft Excel, .aifiles for raster graphics editable in Adobe Illustrator, and so forth.Other data such as fonts (.ttf), mobile applications (.app), plugins,executable applications (.exe), etc. are additional examples ofdownloadable files that are available on the Internet. One search enginereturned 1.19 billion “activity PDF” files, alone [indexed in 0.22seconds, May 2014], representing hundreds of billions, or possiblytrillions of download instances each year. Thus, there is a substantialvolume of under-monetized assets. With the advent of tablets,smartphones, wearable computing devices, and more intelligent gamingsystems, the number of daily downloaded files has increasedexponentially. According to Apple, over five million e-books weredownloaded during the first 65 days that the Apple iBook store was open,many of which were downloaded for free, and 2.5 million applicationinstallations accounted for and 10 billion downloads in the first sixmonths of 2013. Although network bandwidth and data transfer rates areincreasing, the demand for such improved network capacity hascommensurately increased. Even with a 768 Kbps DSL (Digital SubscriberLine) connection, which is an average broadband home connection in theUnited States, an average music file of about 7 megabytes takes aboutone minute and 16.46 seconds to download.

New forms of monetizing publishing assets are being developed, but mostapproach the problem through the aforementioned closed systems. One ofthe challenges of an open web environment is the determination ofcustodianship of a particular file, so that only those with a legitimatemonetization right can do so. Free linking is a fundamental aspect ofthe form and function of the open architecture of the Internet, and thisessential function is also one of its greatest strengths. That a singlefile can have multiple incoming links, oftentimes in the thousands ortens of thousands, can also be the most significant weakness withrespect to monetizing digital files. Copyright laws can protect, to acertain extent, the creator/author's ability to exercise control overtheir dissemination (and hence profit) from their works. In an open webenvironment, any third party can link directly to any file that isaccessible via the Web, however, ascertaining whether a particular linkoriginator is entitled to monetization is difficult. Closed, protectivesystems provide a partial solution by preventing unauthorized linking tothese files, but they also eliminate the benefit that would be derivedfrom those same incoming links.

Deep-linking is the practice of linking to an interior webpage insteadof the homepage of the site without requiring navigation through whatcan be complex layers of a website. The more invasive practice ofhot-linking is the practice of linking directly to a file on a site,instead of the hosting publisher's webpage that links to the file, thusbringing users directly to those resources. Hot-linking to files can bemalicious, since it may be used to illegally display or access a filedirectly from a site that is out of the control of the publisher,thereby intentionally bypassing associated monetization pages. In thecase of video and audio, it may be used to illegally display or play thevideo and/or audio, bypass any associated advertising, and effectivelymisappropriate the bandwidth of the site. Access to the content outsidethe terms service, that is, access without first viewing theadvertising, may rise to an infringement of the provider's propertyrights.

Again, one of the most significant strengths of the open environment ofthe Web is that individuals and entities can link directly to materialsaround the world. Thus, there may be certain incidental benefits ofhot-linking to a downloadable file that help a publisher or site owner.For instance, sets of inbound links can increase the publisher's rankwithin an Internet search system. The challenge is in retaining thebenefits, while eliminating the detrimental aspects of hot-linking.

Because Internet commerce has been largely content-driven in its shorthistory, the ability to open this immense pool of publishers' assets tomonetization by advertisers and merchants would represent a significantrevenue enhancement to all stakeholders. Accordingly, there is a need inthe art to associate monetized content to publishers' downloadableassets. This need for the monetization of downloadable files exists inthe open web environment where custodianship of the downloadable contenthas been determined, as well as in closed systems where it wouldfunction as an alternative to currently available methods.

As mentioned above, monetization of conventional web page content hasbeen achieved with advertising, which is generally limited to web pageviews and click-through interactions, web page to web page intermediaryredirect advertisements, embedded proprietary video and/or audioadvertisements, and so on. With the distinctive needs related to themonetization of downloadable files, there is also a need in the art foran effective presentation of the same. Thus, it would be desirable for aspecialized monetization modality to accommodate the monetized contentrelated to navigation to specific downloadable files

Aspects of the present invention fulfill these needs and provide furtherrelated advantages as described in the following summary.

SUMMARY

Aspects of the present invention teach certain benefits in constructionand use which give rise to the exemplary advantages described below.

The present disclosure is directed to the monetization of downloadablefiles based on resolving custodianship between a publisher and a filehost with policy-based rule sets, scripts, and identifiers. Varioustechnical improvements to inserting monetization content into datatransmissions in an open Web environment are also disclosed. A publishercan thus attach monetized content as defined herein to specified fileswithout complicated access restriction modalities. Once custodianship isidentified, the assets can be correctly monetized through advertisingand publishing. Accordingly, content creators can maintain monetizationcontrol over their works.

In one embodiment, a method for resolving custodianship of adownloadable file is disclosed. The downloadable file may be stored on acustodial host site and referenced by a resource identifier. The requestmay originate from a client device. The method may include receiving therequest for the downloadable file generated from the client devicethrough the custodial host site. The request may include the resourceidentifier and a referrer publisher identifier that specifies an originfrom which the request for the downloadable file was generated. Themethod may also include evaluating the request for the downloadable fileagainst one or more custodianship policy rules. Each of thesecustodianship policy rules may be defined by a custodianship parameterrelated to a part of at least one of the resource identifier and thereferrer publisher identifier and a criterion value that corresponds toa positive evaluation of custodianship. There may further be a step ofdesignating the request for the downloadable file as having the positiveevaluation of custodianship in response to parts of at least one of theresource identifier and the referrer publisher identifier matchingcriterion values for at least two particular ones of the custodianshippolicy rules. The custodianship parameter of one of the custodianshippolicy rules may be one of: a file extension of the downloadable file asspecified in the resource identifier, a format of the resourceidentifier, a custodial domain on which the downloadable file is storedas specified in the resource identifier, and a referral domain asspecified in the referrer publisher identifier. This policy-based systemallows custodianship criteria to be highly flexible and responsive.

Another embodiment is a method for monetizing a downloadable file storedon a custodial host site and requested by a client device. There may bea step of receiving a request for the downloadable file from the clientdevice, the request including a resource identifier and a referrerpublisher identifier specifying an origin from which the request for thedownloadable file was generated. Furthermore, there may be a step ofsetting a file type authorization for the request based upon anevaluation of a file extension of the downloadable file being includedin an array of authorized file types. There may also be a step ofsetting a publisher custodianship for the request based at least in partupon an evaluation of the resource identifier in the request. The methodmay continue with transmitting a modal overlay display instruction tothe client device with the file type authorization and the publishercustodianship for the request being established. There may further be astep of directing a transmission of the monetized content to the clientdevice for display thereon in a modal overlay being generated inresponse to the modal overlay display instruction. The method mayinclude directing a transmission of the downloadable file specified inthe request to the client device concurrently with the transmission ofthe modal overlay display instruction.

Yet another embodiment contemplates a method for presenting monetizedcontent for a downloadable file stored on a custodial host site andreferenced by a resource identifier. The method may include rendering onthe client device a first view of a referral page received from apublisher site. The referral page may include the resource identifierfor the downloadable file. There may be a step of receiving a loadtriggering event corresponding to a request for the downloadable filefrom a user on the client device. Furthermore, the method may includetransmitting the request for the downloadable file to the custodial hostsite. The request may also include the resource identifier. There mayalso be a step of rendering a modal overlay over the referral pagefollowing a validation of custodianship of the downloadable file by thereferral page. Thereafter, there may be a step of initiating a transferinstance of the downloadable file from the custodial host site at a timethat is one of concurrent with the rendering of the modal overlay andsubsequent to the rendering of the modal overlay, data of thedownloadable file being received on the client device from the custodialhost site during the transfer instance. The method may also includeupdating a download progress indicator within the modal overlay duringthe transfer instance, and then closing the modal overlay in response toa modal overlay termination event. The modal overlay termination eventmay be one of a user input closure activity and a monetizationsystem-generated termination event.

Still another embodiment of the present disclosure contemplates a methodfor monetizing a downloadable file being accessed by a client device.The method may include deriving an extension type of the downloadablefile. Additionally, the method may include a step of validating anauthorization to monetize the downloadable file according to one or morerules as set by at least one of a custodial publisher and a monetizationsystem. One of the rules may relate to a file extension. There may be astep of applying one or more characteristics associated with thedownloadable file including one or more presentation characteristics ofmonetized content within a modal overlay presentable on the clientdevice. Furthermore, there may be a step of applying one or morecharacteristics associated with the one or more rules including one ormore presentation characteristics of monetized content within the modaloverlay presentable on the client device. The method may additionallyinclude a step of customizing one or more forms of monetized contentbased on the identified characteristics associated with the downloadablefile and on the identified characteristics associated with the one ormore rules by customizing a presentation of monetized content based onthe one or more identified presentation characteristics of the contentwithin the modal overlay. The method may also include transmitting thecustomized monetized content for display in the modal overlay.

Other features and advantages of aspects of the present invention willbecome apparent from the following more detailed description, taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way ofexample, the principles of aspects of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings illustrate aspects of the present invention.In such drawings:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary environment in whichvarious embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented, inaccordance with at least one embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating webpages served by different publishersites each linking to one or more exemplary downloadable files, inaccordance with at least one embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a table representative of an exemplary approved publisherdomain database, in accordance with at least one embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of one embodiment of a method for resolvingcustodianship of the downloadable file, in accordance with at least oneembodiment;

FIGS. 5A and 5B are flowcharts showing additional details of the methodfor resolving custodianship of the downloadable file, in accordance withat least one embodiment;

FIGS. 6A and 6B are illustrations of exemplary configuration panels fora monetization system including an account setup section and a siteconfiguration section in FIG. 6A showing options for a first publishersite and a site configuration section in FIG. 6B showing options for asecond publisher site, in accordance with at least one embodiment;

FIG. 7 is an illustration of the exemplary dashboard panel for themonetization system, in accordance with at least one embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of an environment showing relationshipsbetween the user, the monetization system, and the monetized contentprovider, in accordance with at least one embodiment;

FIGS. 9A and 9B are flowcharts showing an overview of the monetizationof the downloadable file, in accordance with at least one embodiment;

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of one embodiment of a method for monetizing thedownloadable file, in accordance with at least one embodiment;

FIG. 11 is a flowchart of one embodiment of a method for presentingmonetized content for the downloadable file, in accordance with at leastone embodiment;

FIG. 12 is a flowchart further detailing the monetization of thedownloadable file with a hybrid of monetized content and paywall basedaccess restriction, in accordance with at least one embodiment; and

FIGS. 13A-13F depict layouts of various exemplary modal overlays inaccordance with the embodiments of the present disclosure.

The above described drawing figures illustrate aspects of the inventionin at least one of its exemplary embodiments, which are further definedin detail in the following description. Features, elements, and aspectsof the invention that are referenced by the same numerals in differentfigures represent the same, equivalent, or similar features, elements,or aspects, in accordance with one or more embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The detailed description set forth below in connection with the appendeddrawings is intended as a description of certain embodiments ofmonetizing downloadable files based on resolving custodianship thereofto a referring publisher, and presenting monetized content in a modaloverlay contemporaneously with the download. It is not intended torepresent the only forms of these methods that may be developed orutilized. The description sets forth the various functions in connectionwith the illustrated embodiments, but it is to be understood, however,that the same or equivalent functions may be accomplished by differentembodiments that are also intended to be encompassed within the scope ofthe present disclosure. It is further understood that the use ofrelational terms such as first and second and the like are used solelyto distinguish one entity from another without necessarily requiring orimplying any actual such relationship or order between such entities.

The block diagram of FIG. 1 illustrates a networked computingenvironment 10 in which various embodiments of the present disclosuremay be implemented. By way of example, the environment 10 is the openWeb, where various computer systems communicate with each other toexchange information over a common network modality, e.g., the Internet12. The Web, in general terms, may be comprised of numerous hyperlinkeddocuments 14, also referred to as webpages, stored on various servercomputer systems 16 and served to client devices 18 upon request.Reference to webpages in the present disclosure, however, is notintended to be limiting and could also encompass other interactive mediaconnected to the Internet, including interactive flipbooks and media, aswell as documents, videos, audio files, apps, and games with embeddedlinks. The contemplated systems and methods will be described in termsof this open Web environment, though it will be appreciated by thosehaving ordinary skill in the art that alternatives may be substitutedwithout departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

In the context of the exemplary networked computing environment 10, theterm “client” is understood to refer to the role of the client device 18as a requestor of data or services, while the term “server” isunderstood to refer to the role of the server computer system 16 toprovide such requested data or services. It is possible that thecomponents of the server computer system 16 may request data or servicesin one transaction, and provide data or services in a differenttransaction. The illustrated networked computing environment 10 isgeneralized, and it will be appreciated that there are numerousvariations with respect to implementation specificities that have notbeen set forth in the present disclosure.

Although depicted as a conventional desktop personal computer, theclient device 18 is understood to encompass any general purpose dataprocessing apparatus with which a user 20 may interact. Broadly, theclient device 18 has a data processor, a memory, one or more inputdevices, and one or more output devices. A basic configuration that maybe suitable for use in connection with the systems and methods of thepresent disclosure may include an output device that is a display screenthat can generate a graphical output and an input device by which inputscan be provided. Furthermore, because data exchanges with other systemsand the Internet 12 in general is contemplated, the client device 18 isalso understood to include a networking and data communicationsmodality.

The data processor of the client device 18 executes a series ofpre-programmed instructions based on certain inputs provided by the user20 via the input devices, to generate resultant outputs on the outputdevices. The instructions/software may be stored in non-transitory mediasuch as the aforementioned memory. These instructions may be those of anoperating system that controls the basic functions of the client device18, including file management, input/output, and so forth. Theinstructions may also be those of a web browser application thatgenerates and transmits the requests for the aforementioned webpagesfrom the web/server computer systems 16, receives the requestedwebpages, and renders its contents. In that regard, it should be notedthat while the present invention is discussed herein primarily in thecontext of browser-based and web-based events, in still furtherembodiments, the present invention may be implemented to function vianative mobile coding events, which may not necessarily be browser- orweb-based.

The client device 18 may be any data processing device with theaforementioned basic features and functions. Thus, when referring to theclient device 18, other like devices such as tablets, mobilecommunications devices and smartphones, Internet-enabled televisionsets, e-book readers, gaming consoles, personal digital assistants,wearable computing devices, and any other Internet-capable convergencedevices may be substituted.

The web/server computer systems 16 may be a conventional data processingapparatus with a processor, memory, and Internet networkingfunctionality. The server computer systems 16 may each include anoperating system that manages the various hardware functions thereof,along with a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) server application. Oneof the basic functions of the HTTP server application involves receivingpage requests from the browser application running on the client device18, retrieving the requested webpage 14 stored on, for example, astorage device 22 of the server computer system 16, and transmitting thewebpage 14 to the client device 18. Additional functionality such asenforcement of access restrictions and the like may be implemented withscripts that are executed on the server computer system 16. The variousembodiments will be described in terms of data services provided overHTTP and by the HTTP server, to serve HTML-based webpages 14 but otherprotocols and server applications therefor may also be utilized. Thewebpage 14 may be more generally referred to as a document object model(DOM) element, and thus need not be limited to HTML documents.

It will be recognized that the web browser application can request, andthe HTTP application can serve, files other than webpages 14 that areformatted in accordance with Hypertext Markup Language (HTML). Forexample, the Portable Document Format (PDF) is one of the more widelyused for document sharing, as it is possible to preserve the formattingand visual appearance of documents regardless of platform specifics. Theweb browser application itself, as part of its HTML-renderingcapabilities, typically does not handle PDF documents, but rather, mayrely upon an external application or plug-in. Nevertheless, due to theadditional functionality provided by the browser plug-in, it may bepossible to render PDF documents within the browser window. Common fileformats with browser plugins that open or otherwise render its contentswithin the browser window include video and audio files with extensionssuch as .mov, .mp3, and .mp4, as well as multimedia platform data filessuch as Flash (.swf), and so on. The file extension designates a defaultexternal application with which the file is to be opened.

Other file formats may not include in-browser plugins that may be calledupon to open the file within the browser window. Only upon invoking adedicated external application, can its contents be displayed. Suchnative document formats include, for example, .doc/.docx for wordprocessing documents that can be opened and edited with Microsoft Word,.xls for spreadsheet documents that can be opened and edited withMicrosoft Excel, .ppt for presentation documents that can be opened andedited with Microsoft PowerPoint, .psd and .ai for graphics and imagesthat can be opened and edited with Adobe Photoshop and AdobeIllustrator, respectively. Although specific file formats andcorresponding file name extensions are noted herein, it is to beunderstood that any format with any file name extension may be utilized.

All of the aforementioned files, regardless of the format specifics, maybe referred to as a downloadable file 24. In most cases, the entirety ofthe file 24 is transferred to the client device 18 beforeopening/rendering. Alternatively, the file 24 may be virtually loadedand displayed in a temporary viewer on the client device 18, or in aremote viewer that is accessible via the client device 18. In somecases, the file 24 may be a container for streaming media (such asstreaming audio and/or video, for example), and specify a connection toa media streaming source. Generally, the downloadable file 24 isunderstood to be any data file that is opened or otherwise handledoutside of the rendering of the webpage 14 within the browserapplication. The transfer of the downloadable file 24 from the servercomputer system 16 to the client device 18, however, is understood to bethe same as the transfer of the webpage 14. For the downloadable file24, however, there may be a browser sub-module referred to as a downloadmanager that initiates the retrieval and stores the file to the localfile system. The downloadable file 24 may be stored on the storagedevice 22, though other storage modalities such as cloud-based servicesare also envisioned.

In further detail, for purposes of illustrating the various embodimentsof the present disclosure, the downloadable file 24 is stored on acustodial host site 26 that is accessible by the client device 18 overthe Internet 12. A resource identifier may identify the downloadablefile 24. In one embodiment this is a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI),which is a string of characters that are used to identifier a name or aWeb resource. The identification is understood to enable interactionwith representations of the resource over a network using specificprotocols. For example, a URI for the downloadable file 24 may be“http://www.classbrain.com/download.pdf,” where “http://” refers to theprotocol to be utilized by the browser application to retrieve aparticular file, also referred to as the scheme, “www.classbrain.com”refers to the server by its domain name from which the downloadable file24 may be retrieved, i.e., the custodial host site 26, and may also bereferred to as a site authority. Furthermore, “download.pdf” refers tothe file name of the downloadable file 24.

Although the exemplary embodiments will be described in terms of thestatic downloadable file 24 that is stored locally on the custodial hostsite 26, adaptations to other asset access modalities is contemplated.The downloadable file 24 may also be dynamically generated, storedremotely or virtually, and may be part of the open Web environment.Along these lines, adaptation to existing file delivery systems such asFlickr, YouTube, Slideshare, and so on, with the accounts thereofcontrolled by the publisher is also possible. Those having ordinaryskill in the art will recognize the modifications needed to variousfeatures of the present disclosure for such adaptations.

The exemplary environment 10 includes a first publisher site 28 a, asecond publisher site 28 b, and a third publisher site 28 c. The firstpublisher site 28 a has a webpage 14 a-1 that includes, among othercontent, a hyperlink 30 a to the downloadable file 24, as well as awebpage 14 a-2 that similarly includes a hyperlink 30 b to thedownloadable file. The second publisher site 28 b has a second webpage14 b that also includes, among other content, the hyperlink 30 b to thesame downloadable file 24. Furthermore, the third publisher site 28 chas a third webpage 14 c that includes the hyperlink 30 b to thedownloadable file 24. As referenced herein, the publisher site 28, alongwith the corresponding webpage 14 that is generated thereby, isunderstood to be that which is controlled by the publisher and served tothe requesting user 20. The webpages 14 may be static or dynamicallygenerated.

By way of example, the custodial host site 26 on which the downloadablefile 24 is stored may be the same server computer system 16 as that ofthe first publisher site 28 a. In this regard, the domain for thecustodial host site 26 and the first publisher site 28 a may be thesame, e.g., www.classbrain.com. The second publisher site 28 b may beseparate from the first publisher site 28 a, and accordingly has adifferent domain, e.g., www.classbraingames.com. In this example, thefirst publisher site 28 a and the second publisher site 28 b may beowned and operated by the same publisher, but is understood to be adifferent site. The third publisher site 28 c may be a completelyseparate and unrelated server computer system 16 from the othersdescribed above, with an example domain of www.nobrain.com.

Thus, as shown, it is possible for different publisher sites 28 (threein this illustrated example) to link to the same downloadable file 24.While the first publisher site 28 a and the second publisher site 28 bmay be authorized to monetize the downloadable file 24, the unrelatedthird publisher site 28 c may not be. Because the downloadable file 24is made accessible on the open Web environment 10, downloads arepermitted for all users 20 connected to the Internet 12 regardless ofmonetization.

One embodiment of the present disclosure contemplates a method forresolving custodianship of the downloadable file 24. Custodianshiprefers to the relationship or affiliation between a given publisher site28 or webpage 14, and the downloadable file 24 to which a link is madeavailable from the publisher site 28 or webpage 14. That a givenpublisher site 28 has custodianship over the downloadable file 24 alsodesignates the authorization to monetize each download instance thereof,that is, every access of the downloadable file by the users 20.

Other embodiments of the present disclosure contemplate the monetizationof downloadable assets, and the resolution of custodianship isunderstood to facilitate proper monetization without placing theseassets in separate, secured directories or specially firewalled systems.It is recognized that many such files are in the public domain,available through the Creative Commons for commercial distribution, orotherwise available for use by a publisher by a copyright holder orowner. The publisher may not necessarily be a creator of a particularwork, and so custodianship is intended to characterize the authorizationthat the publisher has to monetize the downloadable file 24. Whether ornot the publisher has obtained the legal right to use the downloadablefile 24 by linking to the same from its webpage 14 may be resolvedcontractually, similar to the way other content such as photographs andwritten articles may be certified or designated by the publisher asauthorized use. The lack of custodianship by a given publisher does notnecessarily equate to an infringement of the downloadable file 24, justthat the publisher does not have the monetization right.

With reference to the diagram of FIG. 2, custodianship may be generallydetermined based upon an evaluation of the resource identifier, e.g.,the hyperlink 30 to the downloadable file 24 included in the webpage 14,and a referrer publisher identifier 32 that specifies an origin fromwhich the request for the downloadable file 24 was generated. In theillustrated example, the full resource identifier of the downloadablefile 24 is “http://www.classbrain.com/download.pdf.” The absolute baseURL or site authority for determining custodianship is classbrain.com,and may be identified independently of the domain name as “classbrain.”

The first publisher site 28 a serves a webpage 14 a that includes arelative hyperlink 30 a, which is a form that can be utilized when thedownloadable file 24 is stored on the same server computer system16/storage path as the referring document or webpage. The relativehyperlink 30 a is specified as “/download.pdf,” meaning that thedownloadable file 24 resides in the same server directory structure asthat which contains the webpage 14 a-1, e.g.,“www.classbrain.com/funpages.html.” The diagram of FIG. 4 also depictsheaders 34 corresponding to each of the webpages 14 with the referrerpublisher identifier 32 a. The custodial host site 26 may thus be thesame as the first publisher site 28 a. It is understood that when thereis a relative hyperlink 30, the referring document or site, e.g., thefirst webpage 14 a or the first publisher site 28 a, has a custodialrelationship with the downloadable file 24.

The first publisher site 28 a also serves a webpage 14 a-2 that includesan absolute hyperlink 30 b. This form is understood to be optional whenthe downloadable file 24 is stored on the same server, and specifies thescheme, domain, and file name in its entirety. Because no assumptionscan be made from a specified absolute hyperlink 30 b, a furthercomparison thereof is made with the referrer publisher identifier 32 b,which in this example, is “www.classbrain.com/stategames.html” asspecified in the header 34 of the second webpage 14 a-2. Because thedomains, or absolute base URLs are the same, again, the referringdocument or site, e.g., the second webpage 14 b or the second publishersite 28 b, has a custodial relationship with the downloadable file 24.

The second publisher site 28 b serves a webpage 14 b that also includesthe same absolute hyperlink 30 b discussed above. In this particularexample, as set forth in the header 34 of the webpage 14 b, the referrerpublisher identifier 32 c is“www.classbraingames.com/blog/states.shtml.” In this case, the resourceidentifier/hyperlink 30 b specifies a domain of the downloadable file 24as “www.classbrain.com,” which is different from“www.classbraingames.com.” Accordingly, based upon a comparison of thedomain names or absolute base URLs alone, a conclusion would be reachedthat the second publisher site 28 b/webpage 14 b does not have acustodial relationship with the downloadable file 24. However, despitehaving different domains, the second publisher site 28 b may be owned orotherwise managed by the publisher of the first publisher site 28 a, andso there may be a custodial relationship regardless.

The third publisher site 28 c serves a webpage 14 c with the sameabsolute hyperlink 30 b included therein. The referrer publisheridentifier 32 c is “www.nobrain.com/fun/pages/10/2011.asp,” and isspecified in the header 34 of the webpage 14 c. Not only does the thirdpublisher site 28 c differ in terms of domain names, that is, theabsolute base URL to that specified in the resource identifier of thedownloadable file 24, there is understood be no custodial relationship.As such, the third publisher site 28 c does not have the right tomonetize the transfer of the downloadable file 24 because it wouldotherwise be allowed to profit from a deep link and infringe upon therights of the custodial publisher, e.g., ClassBrain. The furtherdetermination of whether the dissimilar domains are or are not in acustodial relationship with the downloadable file 24 to which there is ahyperlink 30 will be discussed more fully below.

Although the custodial relationship can be resolved intrinsically inrelation to the downloadable file 24 and the webpages 14 a-1, 14 a-2,additional validation may be necessary with respect to the webpages 14 band 14 c. Neither of the webpages 14 b and 14 c have a referrerpublisher identifier 32 with a domain that is the same as that of thehyperlink 30. Along these lines, while many publishers only run onepublisher site 28, others may have two or three, while other publishersstill may operate hundreds, if not thousands of different sites eachwith different domains. The block diagram of FIG. 1 illustrates amonetization system 36 that may implement one or more aspects of thefunctionality of further resolving the custodianship of the downloadablefile 24, in addition to the aforementioned intrinsic analysis of thereferrer publisher identifier 32 and the resource identifier/hyperlink30.

Generally, the monetization system 36 authenticates the classbrain.comsite (the first publisher site 28 a) as the primary domain belonging tothe publisher Classbrain. Furthermore, others, including the secondpublisher site 28 b, may likewise be authenticated as belonging to thepublisher Classbrain. To this end, the monetization system 36 isunderstood to be another server computer system 16 that is capable ofstoring and processing data.

The association of the first publisher site 28 a. e.g.,www.classbrain.com, and the second publisher site 28 b, e.g.,www.classbraingames.com, to the publisher Classbrain may be stored onthe monetization system 36 in an approved publisher domain database 38(that stores the absolute base URL) and is confirmed/validated uponrequest. As shown in the table of FIG. 3 representative of the approvedpublisher domain database 38, the www.classbrain.com domain and thewww.classbraingames.com are included, whereas the www.nobrain.com domainis not. Because the publisher Classbrain and the custodial host site 26thereof have been authenticated, it is possible for the proper publisherto monetize a transfer instance of the downloadable file 24, even thoughthe request originated from the third publisher site 28 c/webpage 14 c.

By authenticating a custodial host site 26 as belonging to a particularpublisher, the domain of the referring website, that is, the publishersite 28 may be matched against the format or domain/site authorityspecified in the hyperlink 30. The determination of whether or not thereis a custodial relationship between the publisher site 28 and thedownloadable file 24, as well as whether or not the publisher site 28has the right to monetization is thus possible. Without authenticationof the publisher site 28, another publisher site may erroneously, or insome cases maliciously claim the asset of another publisher as its own.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, uponauthentication of the publisher site 28, a site authenticationidentifier is stored thereon. The site authentication identifier mayinclude an authentication file, metadata, site scripts, or otheridentifiers. Besides the publisher site 28, the site authenticationidentifier may be stored on a file system or a cloud provider system.The authenticated publisher site 28 is recognized by the monetizationsystem 36 as having been preliminarily cleared to monetize downloadinstances. It is understood, however, that other conditions formonetization may also be imposed by the monetization system 36.

A broad, general depiction of the method for resolving custodianship ofthe downloadable file 24 that is stored on the custodial host site 26 isillustrated in the flowchart of FIG. 4. According to one embodiment,this method begins with a step 1000 of receiving a request for thedownloadable file 24 from the client device 18. Furthermore, withreference to the flowcharts of FIGS. 5A and 5B, additional details of aspecific sequence of evaluating custodianship policy rules will beconsidered. Prior to receiving the request, the client device 18 mayreceive the webpage 14 that contains the hyperlink 30 to thedownloadable file 24 from the publisher site 28 in accordance with astep 1100. This may, in turn, be preceded by a request for the webpage14.

When the user 20 activates the hyperlink 30 on the client device 18, asoftware command such as the POST or GET command in the HTTP context isgenerated. This is understood to correspond to a step 1102 of the user20 initiating a hyperlink load-triggering event to request thedownloadable file 24. Any number of other load-triggering events thatcould be substituted including activating an offsite link, anonMouseDown event, an onMouseUp event, and an onClick event.Additionally, the capture of a QR (Quick Response) code, a SPARQCode orother like special barcodes that are designed to be photographed withon-board cameras of smartphones and direct the user to a particularwebpage or downloadable file, as well as vocal, vision-tracking, orbody-tracking commands for wearable Internet devices, are also intendedto be encompassed within the step 1102.

The aforementioned request, resulting from the load-triggering event isunderstood to include the resource identifier, e.g.,http://www.classbrain.com/download.pdf that particularly identifies thedomain (absolute base URL), path, and file name of the downloadable file24, along with the referrer publisher identifier that specifies theorigin from which this request was generated, e.g.,www.classbrain.com/stategames.html. The request for the downloadablefile 24 is differentiated from a retrieval of another webpage 14 basedupon the file extension. For example, the downloadable file 24 has a.pdf extension, while the webpage 14 may have a .htm, .asp, .html,.shtml, .cfm, or any other standard webpage extension. The request istransmitted to the custodial host site 26 in accordance with a step1104.

The authentication status of the publisher site 28 (i.e., whether thepublisher site 28 has custodianship over the downloadable file 24) maybe checked in a decision branch 1105. If authenticated, then theprocedure continues to the step 1106, where the request is redirected tothe monetization system 36 and the publisher rules are implemented instep 1108 If the custodial site has not completed its validation processwithin the system 1105, or the publisher rules have not authorized thefile extension type for monetization, the script is stopped and nomonetization is permitted in accordance with a step 1110. Thedownloadable file 24 is served to the client device 18 normally per step1112.

Referring again to the flowchart of FIG. 3, the method for resolvingcustodianship of the downloadable file 24 continues with a step 1002 ofevaluating the aforementioned request against one or more custodianshippolicy rules. As will be described in further detail below, each of thecustodianship policy rules may be defined by a custodianship parameterthat is related to a part of at least one of the resource identifier,e.g., the hyperlink 30, and the referrer publisher identifier 32, aswell as a criterion value that corresponds to a positive evaluation ofcustodianship. The specific criterion values will be discussed ingreater detail. The monetization system 36 is understood to make theseevaluations, and the criteria therefor may be stored locally orremotely.

Several custodianship parameters of the custodianship policy rules arecontemplated in accordance with the embodiments of the presentdisclosure. One is a file extension of the downloadable file asspecified in the resource identifier, while another is a format of theresource identifier. Additionally, another may be a custodial domain onwhich the downloadable file is stored as specified in the resourceidentifier. Yet another is a referral domain as specified in thereferrer publisher identifier. These custodianship policy rules 37 maybe stored on the custodial host site 26, the monetization system 36, orany other local or remote data storage system. Those having ordinaryskill in the art will recognize that other custodianship parameters maybe established.

In a step 1108, the monetization system 36 may check the custodianshippolicy rules for valid file types, which may be defined by thepublisher. This is understood to include a listing of all filetypes/extensions that are authorized for monetization, and the fileextension of the downloadable file 24 as specified in the resourceidentifier is reviewed for inclusion in a decision step 1114. If thespecified extension is found, then monetization may be permitted, andthe method proceeds to the next step. Otherwise, control of thedownloadable file 24 is released back to the custodial host site 26 in astep 1116. Monetization is stopped per step 1110 and the downloadablefile 24 is served to the client device 18 normally per step 1112. Theevaluation does not stop with determining whether the specified fileextension is authorized for monetization, and there is a step 1120 inwhich the publisher rules are checked for additional service parametersand restrictions. Then, in a step 1122, these additional serviceparameters and restrictions are applied.

The next evaluation in a decision step 1124 is whether the resourceidentifier/hyperlink 30 is a relative link. In at least one embodiment,decision step 1124 is performed upon determining that the publisher site28 does not have custodianship over the downloadable file 24 at decisionstep 1105. As mentioned above, if the hyperlink 30 is a relative link,the webpage 14 including such hyperlink 30 is presumed to have acustodial relationship to the downloadable file 24. Custodianship isthus resolved in a step 1140, and the downloadable file 24 is servedalong with monetized content that may be presented within a modaloverlay in accordance with a step 1142, as will be described in furtherdetail below. Furthermore, the custodial publisher may be credited withthe monetization in a step 1144.

Otherwise, the analysis proceeds to the next evaluation in a step 1126,which involves a comparison of the absolute base URL of the referrerpublisher identifier 32 to those in the publisher domain database 38 asbeing associated with a particular publisher that has custodianship overthe downloadable file 24. In a decision step 1128, if the particulardomain name is found in the publisher domain database 38, custodianshipis resolved in accordance with the step 1140, and the downloadable file24 along with the monetized content is served to the client device 18 ina step 1142. Again, the custodial publisher may be credited with themonetization in a step 1144.

If the domain is not listed in the publisher domain database 38, theanalysis continues with a comparison of the domain name as set forth inthe resource identifier/hyperlink 30 and the referrer publisheridentifier 32 in the webpage 14 according to step 1130. If there is amatch as evaluated in a decision step 1132, custodianship is resolvedper step 1140 and proceeds to request the monetized content in the step1142. Otherwise, the publisher site 28 is deemed to not to havecustodianship of the downloadable file 24 according to a step 1134, andadditional publisher rules are applied in a step 1136. Generally, thisinvolves, per decision step 1138, determining whether the downloadablefile 24 may be served regardless of the custodianship status. That is,even if the referring publisher site 28 is non-custodial and/or notaffiliated, whether the downloadable file should be transmitted to theuser 20 requesting the downloadable file 24 therefrom. If thepublisher's policy so dictates, the downloadable file 24 along with themonetized content is served to the client device 18 in a step 1142.Again, the custodial publisher may be credited with the monetization ina step 1144. However, if not, the file delivery may be blocked accordingto a step 1150. Furthermore, an optional system alert may be displayed,which informs the user 20 that the file is monetized and restricted andcannot be downloaded from a link from a non-custodial publisher site tothe custodial host site 26. In at least one alternate embodiment, steps1124 through 1134 may be used as an augmented or alternative validationmethod in situations where the publisher site 28 is deemed to not tohave custodianship of the downloadable file 24 by virtue of at least oneof an ID token, whitelist or blacklist.

Once the status of a hyperlink 30 is defined or identified as custodialor non-custodial to the domain of the particular publisher site 28, itis possible for the monetization system 36 to record the same with alocally or remotely stored array.

Referring to the flowchart of FIG. 4, the aforementioned evaluationsteps can be summarized as a step 1004 of designating the request forthe downloadable file 24 as having the positive evaluation (or negativeevaluation) of custodianship. Again, this designation can be made inresponse to parts of at least one of the resource identifier and thereferrer publisher identifier matching criterion values for at least twoparticular ones of the custodianship policy rules.

The monetization system 36 plays a role in resolving custodianship ofthe downloadable file 24, particularly when there are multiple publishersites 28 under the dominion of a single publisher, and the comparison ofspecified domain names in the resource identifier/hyperlink 30 and thereferrer publisher identifier 32 is insufficient. As indicated above, itis possible to define the included publisher sites 28 in the publisherdomain database 38 associated with the monetization system. In someembodiments, the monetization system 36 may be a subsystem of a contentmanagement platform of the publisher site 28, or of the publisher site28 itself. One of the functions of the monetization system 36 is thedelivery of monetized content, which, as utilized herein, refers to anycontent that can be served to the user 20 to monetize assets. Suchcontent may include advertisements, sponsored searches, images,advertorials, QR codes, SPARQCodes, affiliate links, and so on.Additionally, such content may be either static or dynamic/rotating.

Before the delivery of the monetized content to the users 20 cancommence with the monetization system 36, an authentication procedure inwhich the aforementioned server file, header code, or the like isprovided to the publisher site 28 may be involved. Again, this siteauthentication identifier may demonstrate that the publisher hasadministrative control over the files in the domain(s) in question, andhas been approved by the monetization system 36 or a related third partyapplication programming interface. Further publisher sites 28 may besimilarly identified for cross-domain monetization of assets.

In one embodiment of the configuration/authentication procedure, thepublisher may log in to the monetization system 36 via a web-baseddashboard interface 40 as shown in the screen capture of FIG. 6. Thepublisher can create a general profile 42 in the monetization system 36.Basic information such as an account name and contact information(street, city, state, zip code, and country), as well as telephone andfax numbers may be provided in the profile 42. Additionally, preferredlocalization settings such as language and currency may be specified.

After the basic account is set up, the publisher sets up andauthenticates the primary domain as well as any secondary domains.Continuing with the example shown in FIG. 1, the primary domain of thepublisher Classbrain may be www.classbrain.com, and a secondary domainmay be www.classbraingames.com. Still referring to the screen capture ofFIG. 6, the dashboard interface 40 further includes a domain setupsection 44. As shown, a first field 46 a indicates the name of thepublisher. The publisher is assigned an alphanumeric publisheridentifier that may include the publisher's company or corporate name, aprimary validated domain name, or any other sequence of characters asdesired. The publisher identifier is indicated in a second field 46 b.Similarly, a site identifier that may be based on the domain name of thepublisher site 28, along with any other sequence of alphanumericcharacters as desired. The site identifier is indicated in a third field46 c. A fourth field 46 d shows that the primary domain has beenauthenticated, and a fifth field 46 e shows the URL of this particularpublisher site 28, that is, the primary domain. A descriptor of thepublisher site 28 may be entered in a sixth field 46 f.

One of the conditions for resolving custodianship and determiningwhether a particular downloadable file 24 is to be monetized involvesthe file type or extension. That is, only certain file types may bedesignated for monetization. The domain setup section 44 accepts inputsfor these designations, and includes checkboxes 48 therefor. To theextent any changes are to be committed, after entering the desiredvalues in the form fields 46, an “edit” button user interface element 50may be selected.

After the file types for monetization have been selected via thecheckboxes 48, one embodiment of the present disclosure contemplates thescanning of content upload directories on the custodial host site 26 tobuild a local lookup table of all eligible downloadable files 24. Thistable may be exported as an XML (eXtensible Markup Language) file, or inany other suitable format. Further levels of control over monetizationof the individual files identified and listed in the lookup table arealso possible by way of exemptions and/or additions, and differentrules, tags, and branding may be applied thereto. At this point, thepublisher may be requested to certify that all of the listeddownloadable files 24 are legally under the custodianship of thepublisher.

After the foregoing selections are made, the monetization system 36generates the domain authentication codes as a site file or page headercodes, in response to the user 20 activating a “generate code” buttonuser interface element 52. The authentication code may also be generatedby a third party application programming interface. The publisher maythen manually install the authentication code on the specific webpages14 that includes the hyperlinks 30 to a downloadable file 24 to bemonetized. The monetization system 36 authenticates the publisher site28 as a custodial site and for monetization, and is activated.

To the extent there are any publisher sites that have been added but notvalidated, the dashboard interface 40 is understood to indicate as such.Furthermore, the downloadable files 24 that have been identified may notbe eligible for monetization, regardless of whether the policy ruleshave been set for the publisher site, if it has not been validated.Another embodiment of the dashboard interface 40 is shown in FIG. 7,which depicts multiple rows of listings and sublistings of fields andcorresponding values. This representation may provide a user-friendlyview of all of the publisher sites 28 being monetized.

Further secondary sites may be added to the publisher account in asimilar manner by activating a “add new site” button user interfaceelement 54, which invokes a different domain setup section 44 as shownin FIG. 7. If the secondary domain exists within the profile 42, a menuuser interface element 56 may be used to select between such separatedomain setup sections 44. The secondary domains are likewise associatedwith the publisher, for purposes of resolving custodianship to specificdownloadable files 24 in the manner considered above, as well as forcross-monetization. A similar configuration, authentication,authentication code installation and validation procedure for theprimary domain is also applicable for configuring the secondary domains.

With reference to the block diagram of FIG. 1, in addition to theforegoing functions, the monetization system 36 cooperates with amonetized content provider 58 to serve relevant monetized content inconjunction with the downloadable file 24. Along the lines of themonetized content referring to any content that can be served to theuser 20 to monetize the assets of the publisher, the monetized contentprovider 58 is understood to be expansive and can include any agency,affiliate, search engine, or other supplier of the monetized content. Awide variety of monetized content can be presented, though variousembodiments of the present disclosure contemplate a more targeted,customized approach in which one or more characteristics of thedownloadable file 24 are matched to known presentation characteristicsof the monetized content. To this end, additional attributes of thepublisher system 28 and of the publisher may be defined via thedashboard interface 40, including tags related to the interest graph ofeach website or downloadable file 24, requested monetization partners,branding, whitelisted/blacklisted partner sites, age-appropriateness,and others. In at least one embodiment, the monetized content is relatedto a product or service identified in online content directly orindirectly associated with the user 20—such as social media content, acommentary stream or a blog with which the user is directly associated(such as where the user 20 is the author or originator of such onlinecontent) or indirectly associated (such as where the author ororiginator of such online content is a social media “friend” of the user20 or is otherwise a source that the user subscribes to or has otherwisepreviously expressed an interest in).

Having described the methods for resolving custodianship and theconfiguration of the monetization system 36, further details pertainingto the process by which the request for the downloadable file 24eventually transforms to the publisher's monetization thereof will beconsidered. The block diagram of FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplaryoperating environment where the user 20 interacts with various publishersites 60 a-60 c to access downloadable assets 62, also referenced hereinas the downloadable files 24. The present disclosure contemplatesdifferent types of publisher entities, three of which are depicted. Thefirst publisher site 60 a is a conventional for-profit publisher thatpresents a first monetized content 64 a to the user 20, with thatimpression or other monetization being recorded to credit the publisher.

The monetization system 36 is in communication with various sources(monetized content providers 58) from which the particular monetizedcontent 64 a to be presented to the user 20 for the download instancecan be retrieved. These include a conventional advertisement server 66,various online advertising exchanges 68 a, 68 b, a supply side platform70 where the publishers manage advertising inventory and impressions,affiliate networks 72 that work with affiliate merchants 73, andreal-time bidding systems (“RTB”). Furthermore, advertisers 74 mayinterface with a demand side platform 76 to work with multipleadvertisement exchanges. The variety of sources of the monetized content64 is understood to provide a greater pool from which a best match canbe made to the particular download instance. In most cases, a best matchis that which most closely matches the rules for monetized content setby the publisher, with the highest value. It is understood thatdifferent advertisers can bid for the most desirous placements, and themonetization system 36 may be the central management point for theselecting and receiving the monetized content 64. As shown in the blockdiagram of FIG. 1, the selection of the “best match” bid may beperformed by a bid analysis system 59, which utilizes a series ofanalytics 61.

Similar to the first publisher site 60 a, the second publisher site 60b, which may be associated with a non-profit publisher, presents asecond monetized content 64 b to the user 20 after which the proceedsare provided as donations. This example would normally exclude affiliatemerchant systems. The second monetized content 64 b may have a differentpresentation that refers to the supplier of the monetized content andsubsequent donation as a sponsor instead.

A hybrid arrangement where the user 20 is given the option to pay forthe downloadable asset 62 instead is also contemplated. In furtherdetail, there is a third publisher site 60 c, which may license, sell,or otherwise exchange downloadable files such as movies, songs, musicvideos, e-books, and the like for payment. In the same way the otherpublisher sites 60 a, 60 b retrieved the best matched monetized content64 a, 64 b, respectively, the third publisher site 64 c likewiseretrieves the best matched monetized content 64 c, and presents the sameto the user 20 if the interaction with an advertisement or othermonetized content is selected by the user 20 and any necessary actioncompleted, such as watching a complete video advertisement or listeningto a complete audio advertisement, the user 20 will gain access to thepublisher's downloadable asset 62 for free, or in some cases for areduced price. If not, the user 20 is directed to a paywall 78, at whichpoint a payment can be made, or otherwise be granted access to thedownloadable asset 62 by supplying appropriate credentials.

Further details of monetizing the downloadable file 24 will now beconsidered. With reference to the flowchart of FIG. 9A, the procedurebegins with a step 1300 in which the user is viewing the webpage 14. Asindicated above, the referring webpage 14 includes the hyperlink 30 tothe downloadable file 24, and in a step 1302, the user 20 activates suchhyperlink 30. This request is transmitted to the custodial host site 26per step 1304. The flowchart of FIG. 10 depicts a method formonetization of the downloadable file 24 relative to the monetizationsystem 36, and similarly begins with a step 1400 of receiving thisrequest for the downloadable file 24. Along these lines, the flowchartof FIG. 11 depicts a method for presenting monetized content for thedownloadable file. The corollary to the step 1300 of the user viewingthe webpage is a step 1500 of rendering the referral webpage 14 from thepublisher site 28, the corollary to the step 1302 is a step 1502 ofreceiving the load triggering event, and the corollary to step 1304 is astep 1504 of transmitting the request for the downloadable file 24 tothe custodial host site 26.

According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the transfer ofthe downloadable file 24 begins as a response to the request.Concurrently, further determinations may be made by the monetizationsystem 36 in order to determine whether the download instance can bemonetized or not. In this regard, after sending the user request, it maybe redirected to the monetization system 36 according to a step 1306.Prior to this, however, in a decision block 1305, the validation statusof the site is confirmed, and only upon an affirmative finding does theredirection occur. Otherwise, the file download is blocked from the useras an unauthorized requesting party/site; alternatively, the userrequest may again be transmitted to the custodial web server inaccordance with the step 1304.

In a step 1308, the monetization system 36 checks for a monetizationstatus, e.g., whether the file type is one that can be monetized andwhether the referrer publisher identifier 32 has custodianship over thedownloadable file. This determination may be made in a generalizeddecision step 1310. Referring to the flowchart of FIG. 10, such decisionstep may encompass a step 1402 of setting a file type authorization forthe request based upon an evaluation of a file extension of thedownloadable file included in an array of authorized file types.Furthermore, the decision step may also encompass a step 1404 of settinga publisher custodianship for the request based at least in part upon anevaluation of the resource identifier in the request. These twodeterminations have been extensively discussed above in relation to thecontemplated method of resolving custodianship. If it is determined thatthe requested downloadable file 24 is not to be monetized (asestablished in a step 1312), then the download to the client device isinitiated per step 1314 in accordance with one embodiment of the presentdisclosure. Alternatively, however, it is also possible to reject thedownload request as not being authorized.

On the other hand, if the requested downloadable file 24 is authorizedfor monetization, then additional custodial publisher rules are appliedin a step 1320. Referring to the flowchart of FIG. 10, according to astep 1406, instructions to display a modal overlay on the client device18 during the download process is transmitted to the client device 18.In further detail shown in the flowchart of FIG. 9A, this may include astep 1322 of the monetization system 36 requesting various contentpartners for the monetized content to match the file type and thepublisher rules. As indicated above, this request may return multiplepossible instances of monetized content, and the monetization system 35is understood to match those to the particulars of the requesteddownloadable file 24 in accordance with a step 1324. Thereafter, theselected monetized content is assembled in a step 1326, and served in astep 1328.

Referring to the flowchart of FIG. 10, this corresponds to a step 1408of directing the transmission of the monetized content to the clientdevice 1408, together with the aforementioned step of transmitting modaloverlay display instructions. These two steps may take placesubstantially concurrently, that is, around the same time. Theflowcharts of FIG. 9B further illustrate the various additional stepsthat are contemplated on the client device side. The side showing thesteps beginning with label B1 involves the file download process, whilethe side showing the steps beginning with label B2 involves the modaloverlay presentation process. Beginning with B1, a step 1350 is wherethe file download has been authorized and begun by the monetizationsystem 36, which may correspond to a step 1508 of initiating thetransfer instance of the downloadable file 24 as depicted in theflowchart of FIG. 11.

Contemporaneously with the initiation of the data transfer, startingwith B2, a modal overlay is displayed on the client device 18 inaccordance with a step 1380. Referring to the flowchart of FIG. 11, thismay correspond to a step 1506 of rendering the modal overlay 80. Themodal overlay remains activated until one of several possible eventsoccurs. One exemplary implementation of a modal overlay 80 isillustrated in FIG. 13A, shown within a graphical interface 82 against adarkened background 84. The portion of the graphical interface 82 thatis darkened is understood to be the referrer webpage 14, and contrastswith an un-darkened or full brightness modal overlay 80. The modaloverlay 80 is understood to be an interactive delivery system for theaforementioned monetized content.

In some circumstances, rather than starting the display of the modaloverlay concurrently with the start of downloading, in order to make theimpression of the monetized content more meaningful, a slight delay maybe introduced. The speed at which the download proceeds is primarily afunction of the size of the downloadable file 24, though the networkconnection speed also plays a role. The evaluation of the file size andthe introduction of the aforementioned delay may be undertaken by thecustodial host site 26. At the outset of the file transfer, thecustodial host side 26 may also evaluate the specifics of the clientdevice 18, the location from which the request for the downloadable file24 originated, and other rule-based parameters to determine if thedownloadable file 24 is to be served directly to the client device 18 orthrough the monetization system 36 with a virtual viewer.

Unlike existing advertisement presentation modalities such as banneradvertisements, pop-ups, superstitials, and interstitials, thecontemplated modal overlay 80 of the present disclosure is deliveredconcurrently with the transfer of the downloadable file 24. It will beappreciated that the user's navigation of the Web is not impeded, andindeed, augmented, as it is possible to navigate from webpage towebpage. While the user 20 is waiting for the downloadable file tocomplete its data transfer, various monetized content can be presentedwithin that time period and in the modal overlay 80. As will bedescribed in further detail below, the download progress may be trackedand presented within the modal overlay 80, and hence becomes a tool toenhance user experience. It is expressly contemplated that the modaloverlay 80 is not limited to displaying advertisements in theconventional sense, and may be utilized to present a wide variety ofmonetized content as noted herein.

Although the modal overlay 80 may be presented in numerous ways, thereare a few common elements. In particular, there may be a close icon thatcan be activated by the user 86 positioned on the upper right handcorner of the modal overlay, along the lines of a conventional windowingapplication interface. Additionally, as indicated above, tracking theprogress of the data transfer is common amongst the various embodiments,so each is understood to include a download progress bar 88. As will bedescribed in further detail below, the size, positioning, andorientation of the download progress bar 88, as well as its proffereddesign and animation characteristics for graphically representing theprogress of the download, may be modified according to preference. Alongthese lines, another common feature is the presentation of the monetizedcontent, and thus in each implementation of the modal overlay 80, thereis a dedicated monetized content section 90. The positioning and size ofthe monetized content section 90 may be varied, though to present themonetized content most effectively, some degree of prominence isenvisioned.

In at least one embodiment, the tracking of monetized content views anddownload progress is handled in a way that avoids the need for storingcookies on the client device 18 of the user 20. In a bit more detail, inat least one such embodiment, upon the user clicking on the monetizedcontent, the browser application running on the client device 18 calls ascript on the server computer system 16 that logs the start of themonetized content viewing by the user 20, associates the monetizedcontent view with a random token, and sends the token back to thebrowser application running on the client device 18. The server computersystem 16 also logs at least one of an IP address of the client device18, user agent of the client device 18, and the URL from which themonetized content viewing request originated. The browser applicationrunning on the client device 18 stores this token, and when viewing ofthe monetized content concludes, the browser application sends the tokenback to the server computer system 16. The server computer system 16checks to make sure that the user 20 waited a pre-defined minimum amountof time (such as five seconds, for example) before replying with thetoken, and an ad view count for the associated publisher of themonetized content is incremented. Thus, in at least one embodiment, theserver computer system 16 is able to keep track of which monetizedcontent views resulted in clicks by the user 20. Additionally, in atleast one embodiment, upon the download of the associated file beingcompleted, the browser application notifies the server computer system16, thereby allowing the server computer system 16 to keep track ofwhich monetized content views resulted in downloads. Furthermore, in atleast one embodiment, if there is an error loading the monetizedcontent, the browser application notifies the server computer system 16,thereby allowing the server computer system 16 to keep track of whichmonetized content views were unsuccessful.

Continuing with the data transfer procedure that began with B1, theunderlying information for the download progress bar 88 originates froma step 1352 of calculating the transfer progress time. According to oneembodiment, a file manager running on the client device 18 may be calledto make this calculation; an alternate method may be communicating. Theresultant value is passed to the modal overlay 80, and as set forth in astep 1382, the approximate time to completion is shown in the renderingof the download progress bar 88. Referring to the flowchart of FIG. 11,these two steps may generally correspond to a step 1510 of updating thedownload progress indicator. The progress may also be indicated in termsof percentage completed, time remaining, and other such units that areknown in the art. Since the progress of the transfer of the downloadablefile 24 to the client device 18 is being regularly monitored, when it iscompleted in a step 1354, this is likewise presented in the modaloverlay 80 in a step 1384. In at least one embodiment, notification ofthe file download completion 1384 may manifest as a presentation to theuser of a “View Now” button or link, or one of similar meaning thatallows the user to launch the file into a viewer or locate the file, andpossibly activate the file, on their device, as described in more detailbelow. In at least one embodiment, if the user attempts to close themodal overlay early (i.e., prior to the completion of the filedownload), an alert is triggered which requires a decision by the userto either continue and receive the downloadable file (along with themodal overlay 80 content), or stop and abandon the downloadable filetransfer.

In at least one embodiment, to measure the progress of the download inreal-time, the downloadable file 24 is transferred to the client device18 as binary data—such as via an XMLHttpRequest API call, for example.In at least one such embodiment, where an XMLHttpRequest API call ismade, a progress event listener is also attached to the request.However, if the request isn't for a string, a JavaScript Object, or aweb page document (e.g., if the request is for raw PDF data, forexample), the request is made for binary data. The progress eventlistener updates the browser application running on the client device 18regarding how much progress has been made on the download of the binarydata. When the download of the binary data is complete, the contents ofthe downloadable file 24 are displayed to the client. In at least oneembodiment, if the transfer of the downloadable file 24 is anticipatedto be completed in less time than a pre-defined minimum amount of time(such as five or ten seconds, for example), the progress bar isartificially slowed down so that it takes at least the pre-definedminimum amount of time before completing—which allows the monetizedcontent to be displayed to the user for the pre-defined minimum amountof time prior to allowing access to the downloadable file 24.

As indicated above, prior to commencing the data transfer, optionally,the custodial host site 26 may determine whether or not the downloadablefile 24 is viewable/playable on the destination client device 18. If ithas been deemed a viewable/playable file in a step 1356, then in a step1358 the downloadable file 24 is opened in the client device 18. If thefile is such that it cannot be opened within the browser, the modaloverlay 80 may include a link to the local file system on which thedownloaded file was saved that can be activated to invoke the particularapplication therefor. Alternatively, invoking the external softwareapplication may be automated, along with the closing of the modaloverlay 80. Per step 1386, the user may be presented with an option tosave or open the content of the downloadable file 24 to a new tab orwindow, and upon so selecting, this is accomplished in a step 1370. Thisoptional step may or may not be implemented for particularconfigurations of the modal overlay 80.

The modal overlay 80 stays visible to the user 20 until its closing isauthorized in a step 1388. This authorization may come from the user 20in accordance with a step 1390, which takes action to terminate themodal overlay 80. For example, the close icon 86 may be activated.Alternatively, the authorization to close the modal overlay 80 may comefrom the monetization system 36. This may be the case when the downloadhas been completed. Once the authorization is received to close themodal overlay 80, the user is returned without any further interventionto the underlying referrer webpage 14 in accordance with a step 1394.Referring to the flowchart of FIG. 11, this step is understood to have acorollary step 1512 of receiving a user load triggering event or modaloverlay terminal event (in at least one embodiment) and closing themodal overlay 80. To the extent that the modal overlay 80 was launchedfrom an alternative platform other than the web, the user 20 is returnedthereto. At any time the modal overlay 80 is closed while the downloadis still ongoing, it is understood that such data transfer can also bestopped. This behavior, however, can be adjusted depending on thedesires of the publisher.

An embodiment in which the user 20 is given a choice between viewing themonetized content and paying for the downloadable file 24 was brieflydescribed above with reference to the block diagram of FIG. 8. Now, withreference to the flowchart of FIG. 12, as well as an exampleimplementation of the modal overlay 80 shown in FIG. 13E, additionaldetails of this hybrid monetization will be considered. By default, themodal overlay 80 is already being rendered in accordance with theforegoing procedures as discussed earlier. Thus, when the userinteraction comes to a decision block 1600 at the very least, the modaloverlay 80 with the monetized content is presented. The download mayalso be proceeding, but may be delayed to accept a choice from the user20. At this point, the user may select to pay a fee to gain access tothe downloadable file 24. With particular reference to FIG. 13E, thismay be in the form of a skip button 92 that, when selected, prompts theuser for payment but otherwise continues the presentation of themonetized content until complete. However, to the extent playback ispotentially interrupted as shown in a step 1601, the download is stoppedin accordance with a step 1606. So long as playback continues andconcludes without intervention per step 1602, the downloadable file 24is released to download to the user's device in a step 1650 and, whenplayback has completed, the modal overlay 80 disappears in a step 1603.

When the pay option is selected, the interaction proceeds to anotherdecision block 1604. Even though the user 20 indicates that he/she willpay by activating the skip button 92, when it comes to actually doingso, that may not be the case. As such, this checking step may be useful.If the user does not actually pay, the download is stopped in a step1606, after which the modal overlay 80 disappears in a step 1608. Uponconfirming that a payment will be tendered, the user 20 may beredirected to a third party payment processor in a step 1610. There is apossibility that the payment attempt fails at this stage for a varietyof reasons, so yet another evaluation takes place in a decision block1620. If payment has failed, the download is stopped in the step 1606and the modal overlay 80 disappears in step 1608—though in at least onealternate embodiment, the modal overlay 80 instead disappears upon beingredirected to a third party payment processor at step 1610. If it hasnot failed, the modal overlay 80 disappears in a separate step 1622 andcompleted the download in a step 1650—though, again, in at least onealternate embodiment, the modal overlay 80 instead disappears upon beingredirected to a third party payment processor at step 1610.

While a few of the common elements of the modal overlay 80 wereconsidered above, there are several variations that have been configuredto meet particular needs. Returning to the example shown in FIG. 13A, amore basic implementation is shown. However, within the monetizationcontent section 90, there is additionally an optional newsfeed, socialmedia, or interactive widget area section 94, along with a publisherbranding section 96. Furthermore, there is an open to tab button 98located on the lower right hand corner of the modal overlay 80, by whichthe monetized content 90 or the additional content can be loaded into asecondary tab.

The examples shown in FIGS. 13B, 13C and 13F feature a vertical downloadprogress bar 88, which is positioned thus in order to lead the eyes ofthe user 20 across the monetized content in the same way that a speedreader uses the hand or other tracking device to led the eyes across thepage. The download progress bar 88 can be positioned on the left side asshown in FIGS. 13B and 13F, or on the right side as shown in FIG. 13C,to accommodate left-to-right reading languages and right-to-left readinglanguages, respectively. This variation also includes the open to tabbutton 98, though this can be substituted with any other button thatactivates various functions both within and outside of the modal overlay80. In still further embodiments, any other type of visual progressindicator, now known or later developed, may be substituted—thus, thevisual progress indicator utilized by the present invention should notbe read as being limited to only progress bars. Furthermore, instead ofthe publisher branding, as in the variation shown in FIGS. 13B, 13C and13F, it is also possible to include branding for the advertiser, asshown in a branding section 100.

FIG. 13D illustrates an example modal overlay 80 that could findapplication for non-profit publisher sites 28 and custodial host sites26. One of the differences with the other embodiments is that the totalamount raised as part of fundraising through the monetized content isdisplayed within the modal overlay 80. In other respects, however, thisvariation is similar to the others discussed above.

Considering that the modal window 80, and the download progress bar 88positioned therein, is being updated as the download progresses,changing other content displayed within is easily achieved. Depending onthe length of a particular download one or more sets of monetizablecontent may be shown sequentially within the modal overlay. In thisregard, there may also be a separate presentation once the download iscomplete such as a download completion graphic and so forth. Based onthe foregoing disclosure, those having ordinary skill in the art willrecognize the numerous possibilities for designing the modal overlay 80.

The particulars shown herein are by way of example only for purposes ofillustrative discussion, and are presented in the cause of providingwhat is believed to be the most useful and readily understooddescription of the principles and conceptual aspects of the variousembodiments set forth in the present disclosure. In this regard, noattempt is made to show any more detail than is necessary for afundamental understanding of the different features of the variousembodiments, the description taken with the drawings making apparent tothose skilled in the art how these may be implemented in practice.

Aspects of the present specification may also be described as follows:

1. A method for presenting monetized content for a downloadable filestored on a custodial host site and referenced by a resource identifier,the method comprising: rendering on the client device a first view of areferral page received from a publisher site, the referral pageincluding the resource identifier for the downloadable file; receivingfrom a user, on the client device, a load triggering event correspondingto a request for the downloadable file; transmitting the request for thedownloadable file to the custodial host site, the request including theresource identifier; upon validating that the referral page hascustodianship of the downloadable file, rendering on the client deviceover the referral page a modal overlay containing the monetized content;initiating a transfer instance of the downloadable file from thecustodial host site at a time that is one of concurrent with therendering of the modal overlay and subsequent to the rendering of themodal overlay, data of the downloadable file being received on theclient device from the custodial host site during the transfer instance;and closing the modal overlay in response to a modal overlay terminationevent, the modal overlay termination event being one of a user inputclosure activity and a monetization system-generated termination event.

2. The method according to embodiment 2, wherein: the referral pagecontains a document object model (DOM) element or equivalent nativelyrenderable in a web application being executed on the client device; andthe downloadable file is opened separately from a native rendering inthe web browser application.

3. The method according to embodiments 1-2, further comprising:displaying an activatable link within the modal overlay to thedownloadable file as received on the client device; wherein the modaloverlay remains open while the activatable link is being displayed.

4. The method according to embodiments 1-3, further comprising receivinga selection of the activatable link from the user.

5. The method according to embodiments 1-4, further comprisingdisplaying the downloadable file with a dedicated application specificthereto.

6. The method according to embodiments 1-5, further comprisingdisplaying the location of the downloadable file on the client device.

7. The method according to embodiments 1-6, further comprisinginitiating a transfer of the downloadable file on the client device.

8. The method according to embodiments 1-7, further comprising:displaying the downloadable file with a dedicated application specificthereto upon a completed receipt thereof on the client device withoutuser intervention; wherein the modal overlay is closed in response toconcluding the transfer instance with an entirety of the downloadablefile being received on the client device.

9. The method according to embodiments 1-8, further comprising:receiving monetized content from a monetization system; and displayingthe monetized content within the rendered modal overlay.

10. The method according to embodiments 1-9, wherein the monetizedcontent is selected from a group consisting of an advertisement, amonetized search, a monetized game, a monetized image, a monetized imagegallery, a monetized audio file, and a monetized video.

11. The method according to embodiments 1-10, further comprisingdisplaying non-monetized content within the rendered modal overlay.

12. The method according to embodiments 1-11, wherein the non-monetizedcontent is selected from a group consisting of newsfeeds, translationtools, social media interactions, and dictionary tools.

13. The method according to embodiments 1-12, further comprisingdisplaying a brand identification content related to the custodialpublisher within the rendered modal overlay.

14. The method according to embodiments 1-13, wherein receipt of thedata of the downloadable file is coextensive with the transfer instance.

15. The method according to embodiments 1-14, wherein the data of thedownloadable file is received following a delay activated by amonetization system after a beginning of the transfer instance.

16. The method according to embodiments 1-15, wherein the transferinstance is controlled by a download manager on the client device.

17. The method according to embodiments 1-16, wherein the downloadmanager stores the received downloadable file onto a storage deviceconnected to the client device.

18. The method according to embodiments 1-17, wherein the user inputclosure activity is an activation of an overlay close user interfaceelement.

19. The method according to embodiments 1-18, wherein the monetizationsystem-generated termination event is concurrent with a conclusion ofthe transfer instance with an entirety of the downloadable file beingreceived on the client device.

20. The method according to embodiments 1-19, wherein prior toinitiating the transfer instance, the method includes: displaying adocument object model (DOM) element within the modal overlay including anode containing a first input interface element corresponding to a paiddownload selection and a node containing a corresponding to a sponsoreddownload selection, and a second input interface element; wherein themodal overlay is rendered on the client device and the transfer instanceis initiated in response to a selection of the second input element.

21. The method according to embodiments 1-20, wherein the loadtriggering event is an activation of a hyperlink including the resourceidentifier for the downloadable file.

22. The method according to embodiments 1-21, wherein the loadtriggering event is a capture of visual indicia corresponding to theresource identifier for the downloadable file with an imaging deviceassociated with the client device.

23. The method according to embodiments 1-22, further comprisingterminating the transfer instance in response to the user inputactivating an overlay close user interface element with less than theentirety of the downloadable file being received on the client device.

24. The method according to embodiments 1-23, wherein the step ofinitiating a transfer instance of the downloadable file from thecustodial host site further comprises the step of updating a downloadprogress indicator within the modal overlay during the transfer instance

25. The method according to embodiments 1-24, wherein the downloadprogress indicator is at least partially based upon a size of thedownloadable file and at least partially corresponds to a completionprogress of the transfer instance.

26. The method according to embodiments 1-25, wherein the progressindicator is vertically oriented.

27. The method according to embodiments 1-26, wherein the downloadprogress indicator is independent of a completion progress of thetransfer instance.

28. The method according to embodiments 1-27, wherein the downloadprogress indicator is updated to reflect a completion progress value ofthe transfer instance reported by the download manager.

29. The method according to embodiments 1-28, wherein the step ofinitiating a transfer instance of the downloadable file from thecustodial host site further comprises the steps of: transferring thedownloadable file to the client device as binary data; transmitting aprogress event listener to the custodial host site; and updating thedownload progress indicator within the modal overlay, as reported by theprogress event listener, thereby allowing the progress of thedownloadable file transfer to be tracked in real-time during thetransfer instance.

30. The method according to embodiments 1-29, wherein the step oftransferring the downloadable file to the client device as binary datafurther comprises the step of transmitting an XMLHttpRequest API call tothe custodial host site.

31. The method according to embodiments 1-30, further comprising thestep of, upon determining that the transfer of the downloadable filewill require less than a pre-defined minimum amount of time to complete,artificially slowing the download progress indicator to ensure that thetransfer of the downloadable file will require at least the pre-definedminimum amount of time to complete.

32. The method according to embodiments 1-31, further comprising thesteps of, upon the user clicking on the monetized content: logging startof the monetized content viewing by the user; generating a tokenassociated with the monetized content viewing by the user; transmittingthe token to client device; and upon conclusion of the monetized contentviewing by the user: receiving the token from the client device; loggingan end of the monetized content viewing by the user; and upondetermining that the monetized content was viewed for at least apre-defined minimum amount of time, incrementing a counter associatedwith the monetized content.

33. The method according to embodiments 1-32, further comprising thestep of logging at least one of an IP address of the client device, auser agent of the client device, and a URL from which the monetizedcontent viewing request originated.

34. A method for presenting monetized content for a downloadable filestored on a custodial host site and referenced by a resource identifier,the method comprising: rendering on the client device a first view of areferral page received from a publisher site, the referral pageincluding the resource identifier for the downloadable file; receivingfrom a user, on the client device, a load triggering event correspondingto a request for the downloadable file; transmitting the request for thedownloadable file to the custodial host site, the request including theresource identifier; upon validating that the referral page hascustodianship of the downloadable file, rendering on the client deviceover the referral page a modal overlay containing the monetized content;initiating a transfer instance of the downloadable file from thecustodial host site at a time that is one of concurrent with therendering of the modal overlay and subsequent to the rendering of themodal overlay, data of the downloadable file being received on theclient device from the custodial host site during the transfer instance;transferring the downloadable file to the client device as binary data;transmitting a progress event listener to the custodial host site;updating a download progress indicator within the modal overlay, asreported by the progress event listener, thereby allowing the progressof the downloadable file transfer to be tracked in real-time during thetransfer instance; and closing the modal overlay in response to a modaloverlay termination event, the modal overlay termination event being oneof a user input closure activity and a monetization system-generatedtermination event.

35. An article of manufacture comprising a non-transitory programstorage medium readable by a data processing apparatus, the mediumtangibly embodying one or more programs of instructions executable bythe data processing apparatus to perform a method for presentingmonetized content for a downloadable file stored on a custodial hostsite and referenced by a resource identifier, the method comprising:rendering on the client device a first view of a referral page receivedfrom a publisher site, the referral page including the resourceidentifier for the downloadable file; receiving from a user, on theclient device, a load triggering event corresponding to a request forthe downloadable file; transmitting the request for the downloadablefile to the custodial host site, the request including the resourceidentifier; upon validating that the referral page has custodianship ofthe downloadable file, rendering on the client device over the referralpage a modal overlay containing the monetized content; initiating atransfer instance of the downloadable file from the custodial host siteat a time that is one of concurrent with the rendering of the modaloverlay and subsequent to the rendering of the modal overlay, data ofthe downloadable file being received on the client device from thecustodial host site during the transfer instance; and closing the modaloverlay in response to a modal overlay termination event, the modaloverlay termination event being one of a user input closure activity anda monetization system-generated termination event.

In closing, regarding the exemplary embodiments of the present inventionas shown and described herein, it will be appreciated that a system andassociated methods are disclosed and configured for monetizingdownloadable files based on resolving custodianship thereof to areferring publisher, and presenting monetized content in a modal overlaycontemporaneously with the download. Because the principles of theinvention may be practiced in a number of configurations beyond thoseshown and described, it is to be understood that the invention is not inany way limited by the exemplary embodiments, but is generally directedto such a system and associated methods and is able to take numerousforms to do so without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention.

Certain embodiments of the present invention are described herein,including the best mode known to the inventor(s) for carrying out theinvention. Of course, variations on these described embodiments willbecome apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading theforegoing description. The inventor(s) expect skilled artisans to employsuch variations as appropriate, and the inventor(s) intend for thepresent invention to be practiced otherwise than specifically describedherein. Accordingly, this invention includes all modifications andequivalents of the subject matter recited in the claims appended heretoas permitted by applicable law. Moreover, any combination of theabove-described embodiments in all possible variations thereof isencompassed by the invention unless otherwise indicated herein orotherwise clearly contradicted by context.

Groupings of alternative embodiments, elements, or steps of the presentinvention are not to be construed as limitations. Each group member maybe referred to and claimed individually or in any combination with othergroup members disclosed herein. It is anticipated that one or moremembers of a group may be included in, or deleted from, a group forreasons of convenience and/or patentability. When any such inclusion ordeletion occurs, the specification is deemed to contain the group asmodified thus fulfilling the written description of all Markush groupsused in the appended claims.

Unless otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing a characteristic,item, quantity, parameter, property, term, and so forth used in thepresent specification and claims are to be understood as being modifiedin all instances by the term “about.” As used herein, the term “about”means that the characteristic, item, quantity, parameter, property, orterm so qualified encompasses a range of plus or minus ten percent aboveand below the value of the stated characteristic, item, quantity,parameter, property, or term. Accordingly, unless indicated to thecontrary, the numerical parameters set forth in the specification andattached claims are approximations that may vary. At the very least, andnot as an attempt to limit the application of the doctrine ofequivalents to the scope of the claims, each numerical indication shouldat least be construed in light of the number of reported significantdigits and by applying ordinary rounding techniques. Notwithstandingthat the numerical ranges and values setting forth the broad scope ofthe invention are approximations, the numerical ranges and values setforth in the specific examples are reported as precisely as possible.Any numerical range or value, however, inherently contains certainerrors necessarily resulting from the standard deviation found in theirrespective testing measurements. Recitation of numerical ranges ofvalues herein is merely intended to serve as a shorthand method ofreferring individually to each separate numerical value falling withinthe range. Unless otherwise indicated herein, each individual value of anumerical range is incorporated into the present specification as if itwere individually recited herein.

Use of the terms “may” or “can” in reference to an embodiment or aspectof an embodiment also carries with it the alternative meaning of “maynot” or “cannot.” As such, if the present specification discloses thatan embodiment or an aspect of an embodiment may be or can be included aspart of the inventive subject matter, then the negative limitation orexclusionary proviso is also explicitly meant, meaning that anembodiment or an aspect of an embodiment may not be or cannot beincluded as part of the inventive subject matter. In a similar manner,use of the term “optionally” in reference to an embodiment or aspect ofan embodiment means that such embodiment or aspect of the embodiment maybe included as part of the inventive subject matter or may not beincluded as part of the inventive subject matter. Whether such anegative limitation or exclusionary proviso applies will be based onwhether the negative limitation or exclusionary proviso is recited inthe claimed subject matter.

The terms “a,” “an,” “the” and similar references used in the context ofdescribing the present invention (especially in the context of thefollowing claims) are to be construed to cover both the singular and theplural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted bycontext. Further, ordinal indicators—such as “first,” “second,” “third,”etc.—for identified elements are used to distinguish between theelements, and do not indicate or imply a required or limited number ofsuch elements, and do not indicate a particular position or order ofsuch elements unless otherwise specifically stated. All methodsdescribed herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwiseindicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. The useof any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g., “such as”)provided herein is intended merely to better illuminate the presentinvention and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the inventionotherwise claimed. No language in the present specification should beconstrued as indicating any non-claimed element essential to thepractice of the invention.

When used in the claims, whether as filed or added per amendment, theopen-ended transitional term “comprising” (along with equivalentopen-ended transitional phrases thereof such as “including,”“containing” and “having”) encompasses all the expressly recitedelements, limitations, steps and/or features alone or in combinationwith un-recited subject matter; the named elements, limitations and/orfeatures are essential, but other unnamed elements, limitations and/orfeatures may be added and still form a construct within the scope of theclaim. Specific embodiments disclosed herein may be further limited inthe claims using the closed-ended transitional phrases “consisting of”or “consisting essentially of” in lieu of or as an amendment for“comprising.” When used in the claims, whether as filed or added peramendment, the closed-ended transitional phrase “consisting of” excludesany element, limitation, step, or feature not expressly recited in theclaims. The closed-ended transitional phrase “consisting essentially of”limits the scope of a claim to the expressly recited elements,limitations, steps and/or features and any other elements, limitations,steps and/or features that do not materially affect the basic and novelcharacteristic(s) of the claimed subject matter. Thus, the meaning ofthe open-ended transitional phrase “comprising” is being defined asencompassing all the specifically recited elements, limitations, stepsand/or features as well as any optional, additional unspecified ones.The meaning of the closed-ended transitional phrase “consisting of” isbeing defined as only including those elements, limitations, stepsand/or features specifically recited in the claim, whereas the meaningof the closed-ended transitional phrase “consisting essentially of” isbeing defined as only including those elements, limitations, stepsand/or features specifically recited in the claim and those elements,limitations, steps and/or features that do not materially affect thebasic and novel characteristic(s) of the claimed subject matter.Therefore, the open-ended transitional phrase “comprising” (along withequivalent open-ended transitional phrases thereof) includes within itsmeaning, as a limiting case, claimed subject matter specified by theclosed-ended transitional phrases “consisting of” or “consistingessentially of.” As such, embodiments described herein or so claimedwith the phrase “comprising” are expressly or inherently unambiguouslydescribed, enabled and supported herein for the phrases “consistingessentially of” and “consisting of.”

All patents, patent publications, and other publications referenced andidentified in the present specification are individually and expresslyincorporated herein by reference in their entirety for the purpose ofdescribing and disclosing, for example, the compositions andmethodologies described in such publications that might be used inconnection with the present invention. These publications are providedsolely for their disclosure prior to the filing date of the presentapplication. Nothing in this regard should be construed as an admissionthat the inventors are not entitled to antedate such disclosure byvirtue of prior invention or for any other reason. All statements as tothe date or representation as to the contents of these documents isbased on the information available to the applicants and does notconstitute any admission as to the correctness of the dates or contentsof these documents.

It should be understood that the logic code, programs, modules,processes, methods, and the order in which the respective elements ofeach method are performed are purely exemplary. Depending on theimplementation, they may be performed in any order or in parallel,unless indicated otherwise in the present disclosure. Further, the logiccode is not related, or limited to any particular programming language,and may comprise one or more modules that execute on one or moreprocessors in a distributed, non-distributed, or multiprocessingenvironment.

The methods as described above may be used in the fabrication ofintegrated circuit chips. The resulting integrated circuit chips can bedistributed by the fabricator in raw wafer form (that is, as a singlewafer that has multiple unpackaged chips), as a bare die, or in apackaged form. In the latter case, the chip is mounted in a single chippackage (such as a plastic carrier, with leads that are affixed to amotherboard or other higher level carrier) or in a multi-chip package(such as a ceramic carrier that has either or both surfaceinterconnections or buried interconnections). In any case, the chip isthen integrated with other chips, discrete circuit elements, and/orother signal processing devices as part of either (a) an intermediateproduct, such as a motherboard, or (b) an end product. The end productcan be any product that includes integrated circuit chips, ranging fromtoys and other low-end applications to advanced computer products havinga display, a keyboard or other input device, and a central processor.

While aspects of the invention have been described with reference to atleast one exemplary embodiment, it is to be clearly understood by thoseskilled in the art that the invention is not limited thereto. Rather,the scope of the invention is to be interpreted only in conjunction withthe appended claims and it is made clear, here, that the inventor(s)believe that the claimed subject matter is the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for presenting monetized content for adownloadable file stored on a custodial host site and referenced by aresource identifier, the method comprising: rendering on the clientdevice a first view of a referral page received from a publisher site,the referral page including the resource identifier for the downloadablefile; receiving from a user, on the client device, a load triggeringevent corresponding to a request for the downloadable file; transmittingthe request for the downloadable file to the custodial host site, therequest including the resource identifier; upon validating that thereferral page has custodianship of the downloadable file, rendering onthe client device over the referral page a modal overlay containing themonetized content; initiating a transfer instance of the downloadablefile from the custodial host site at a time that is one of concurrentwith the rendering of the modal overlay and subsequent to the renderingof the modal overlay, data of the downloadable file being received onthe client device from the custodial host site during the transferinstance; transmitting a progress event listener to the custodial hostsite, thereby allowing the progress of the downloadable file transfer tobe tracked in real-time during the transfer instance; and closing themodal overlay in response to a modal overlay termination event, themodal overlay termination event being one of a user input closureactivity and a monetization system-generated termination event.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, wherein: the referral page contains a document objectmodel (DOM) element or equivalent natively renderable in a webapplication being executed on the client device; and the downloadablefile is opened separately from a native rendering in the web browserapplication.
 3. The method of claim 2, further comprising: displaying anactivatable link within the modal overlay to the downloadable file asreceived on the client device; wherein the modal overlay remains openwhile the activatable link is being displayed.
 4. The method of claim 1,further comprising: displaying the downloadable file with a dedicatedapplication specific thereto upon a completed receipt thereof on theclient device without user intervention; wherein the modal overlay isclosed in response to concluding the transfer instance with an entiretyof the downloadable file being received on the client device.
 5. Themethod of claim 1, wherein receipt of the data of the downloadable fileis coextensive with the transfer instance.
 6. The method of claim 1,wherein the data of the downloadable file is received following a delayactivated by a monetization system after a beginning of the transferinstance.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the user input closureactivity is an activation of an overlay close user interface element. 8.The method of claim 1, wherein the monetization system-generatedtermination event is concurrent with a conclusion of the transferinstance with an entirety of the downloadable file being received on theclient device.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein prior to initiating thetransfer instance, the method includes: displaying a document objectmodel (DOM) element within the modal overlay including a node containinga first input interface element corresponding to a paid downloadselection and a node containing a corresponding to a sponsored downloadselection, and a second input interface element; wherein the modaloverlay is rendered on the client device and the transfer instance isinitiated in response to a selection of the second input element. 10.The method of claim 1, wherein the load triggering event is anactivation of a hyperlink including the resource identifier for thedownloadable file.
 11. The method of claim 1, wherein the loadtriggering event is a capture of visual indicia corresponding to theresource identifier for the downloadable file with an imaging deviceassociated with the client device.
 12. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising terminating the transfer instance in response to the userinput activating an overlay close user interface element with less thanthe entirety of the downloadable file being received on the clientdevice.
 13. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of initiating atransfer instance of the downloadable file from the custodial host sitefurther comprises the step of updating a download progress indicatorwithin the modal overlay during the transfer instance.
 14. The method ofclaim 13, wherein the step of transmitting a progress event listener tothe custodial host site further comprises the steps of: transferring thedownloadable file to the client device as binary data; and updating thedownload progress indicator within the modal overlay, as reported by theprogress event listener, thereby allowing the progress of thedownloadable file transfer to be tracked in real-time during thetransfer instance.
 15. The method of claim 14, wherein the step oftransferring the downloadable file to the client device as binary datafurther comprises the step of transmitting an XMLHttpRequest API call tothe custodial host site.
 16. The method of claim 14, further comprisingthe step of, upon determining that the transfer of the downloadable filewill require less than a pre-defined minimum amount of time to complete,artificially slowing the download progress indicator to ensure that thetransfer of the downloadable file will require at least the pre-definedminimum amount of time to complete.
 17. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising the steps of, upon the user clicking on the monetizedcontent: logging start of the monetized content viewing by the user;generating a token associated with the monetized content viewing by theuser; transmitting the token to client device; and upon conclusion ofthe monetized content viewing by the user: receiving the token from theclient device; logging an end of the monetized content viewing by theuser; and upon determining that the monetized content was viewed for atleast a pre-defined minimum amount of time, incrementing a counterassociated with the monetized content.
 18. The method of claim 17,further comprising the step of logging at least one of an IP address ofthe client device, a user agent of the client device, and a URL fromwhich the monetized content viewing request originated.
 19. A method forpresenting monetized content for a downloadable file stored on acustodial host site and referenced by a resource identifier, the methodcomprising: rendering on the client device a first view of a referralpage received from a publisher site, the referral page including theresource identifier for the downloadable file; receiving from a user, onthe client device, a load triggering event corresponding to a requestfor the downloadable file; transmitting the request for the downloadablefile to the custodial host site, the request including the resourceidentifier; upon validating that the referral page has custodianship ofthe downloadable file, rendering on the client device over the referralpage a modal overlay containing the monetized content; initiating atransfer instance of the downloadable file from the custodial host siteat a time that is one of concurrent with the rendering of the modaloverlay and subsequent to the rendering of the modal overlay, data ofthe downloadable file being received on the client device from thecustodial host site during the transfer instance; transferring thedownloadable file to the client device as binary data; transmitting aprogress event listener to the custodial host site; updating a downloadprogress indicator within the modal overlay, as reported by the progressevent listener, thereby allowing the progress of the downloadable filetransfer to be tracked in real-time during the transfer instance; andclosing the modal overlay in response to a modal overlay terminationevent, the modal overlay termination event being one of a user inputclosure activity and a monetization system-generated termination event.20. An article of manufacture comprising a non-transitory programstorage medium readable by a data processing apparatus, the mediumtangibly embodying one or more programs of instructions executable bythe data processing apparatus to perform a method for presentingmonetized content for a downloadable file stored on a custodial hostsite and referenced by a resource identifier, the method comprising:rendering on the client device a first view of a referral page receivedfrom a publisher site, the referral page including the resourceidentifier for the downloadable file; receiving from a user, on theclient device, a load triggering event corresponding to a request forthe downloadable file; transmitting the request for the downloadablefile to the custodial host site, the request including the resourceidentifier; upon validating that the referral page has custodianship ofthe downloadable file, rendering on the client device over the referralpage a modal overlay containing the monetized content; initiating atransfer instance of the downloadable file from the custodial host siteat a time that is one of concurrent with the rendering of the modaloverlay and subsequent to the rendering of the modal overlay, data ofthe downloadable file being received on the client device from thecustodial host site during the transfer instance; transmitting aprogress event listener to the custodial host site, thereby allowing theprogress of the downloadable file transfer to be tracked in real-timeduring the transfer instance; and closing the modal overlay in responseto a modal overlay termination event, the modal overlay terminationevent being one of a user input closure activity and a monetizationsystem-generated termination event.